Fallin' for you
by Dr. Cameron
Summary: Chase and Cameron had an agreement. Just sex. Unfortunately for them, love has a mind of its own.
1. Wakeup Call

So, all the fics I've written in the past that have pairings have been HC. However, I've decided to mix it up a bit and try my hand at CC. Here it goes:

* * *

It was 3:20 am and Allison Cameron's apartment was dark and quiet. She and her co-worker Robert Chase had been sleeping together for three weeks. It didn't mean anything, it was just sex. And if it made House jealous, well then, that was just a bonus. 

The two were lying in her bed, asleep, exhausted from the night's events. He didn't have his arms around her, they weren't even touching. As a matter of fact, if they were any farther apart, they would have fallen off the bed.

Suddenly the harsh sound of the phone ringing burst into the air and demolished the calm. Cameron stirred, but tried to ignore the sound. Chase was still snoring and didn't hear a thing. The phone continued to ring, Cameron continued to ignore it, Chase continued to snore. Finally, after the seventh ring, Cameron gave in. She threw her hand out from under the covers and reached for the phone.

"What?!" she barked into it.

There was a long pause, and then Cameron bolted upright in bed. She was awake now.

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'll be right there."

She put the phone back down and threw the covers off of her. She ran to her dresser and started to fumble around for some clothes. Once she dressed she went back over to her bed and threw a pillow at Chase, waking him up.

"What the hell?" a groggy Chase exclaimed.

"Get up," Cameron ordered.

Chase lifted his head slightly. "Why?"

"Because I have to go out and my car's in the shop. You're driving."

"Cameron-" Chase started, but she cut him off.

"No buts, get up. Now!"

Chase put his head back down on the pillow and tried to go back to sleep. Cameron picked up another pillow and threw it at his face.

"Hey! Will you stop with the violence? Geez, okay, I'll get up, just stop throwing things at me."

"Good, get dressed and for God's sake be quick about it. No time for primping. Let's go." With that she left the room.

Chase sat up and blinked a couple times. _What has gotten into her? I just signed on for sex, not for pillow attacks at three am. _Sighing, he realized he may as well do what the crazed woman said.

HMDHMDHMD

"So where are we going?" Chase asked as he and Cameron got into his car five minutes later.

"Just drive, I'll give you directions as we go. Take a left out of here."

Chase was surprised. He'd never seen Cameron this tense. It wasn't just the tension, but she was being secretive. If she wanted him to drive her to wherever it was they were going at this ungodly hour, then why wasn't he allowed to know where exactly they were headed, and why?

"So I guess I get no information on what's going on here?"

"Nope, go right."

Chase sighed and focused back on the road. Not that anyone was even out this early. Some people didn't have crazy girlfriends waking them up in the middle of the night to go on a little road trip.

_Girlfriend_, he said girlfriend. Damn it, he wasn't supposed to do that. As much as he admitted only to himself that he didn't totally hate the idea of being able to call Cameron his girlfriend, he knew that she didn't want that. She wanted House. He was just a pawn in that game.

After ten minutes of Cameron's cold directions, they finally reached their destination. Chase never would have guessed that this was the source of their little midnight adventure.

* * *

See that little button down there? Click it, you know you want to:) 


	2. Meeting Mandy

I was completely overwhelmed (in a good way. A very good way) by the response to Chapter 1 of this fic. Seriously guys, you have no idea how happy you made me. Make me happy again?

Disclaimer: House is not mine.

Claimer: Mandy is.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" a bewildered Chase asked as Cameron climbed out of the car. 

"Yes," she responded quickly. She didn't ask Chase to follow, just took off at a sprint towards the building. He decided to follow anyway, locking up his car before heading into the Princeton Police Department.

HMDHMDHMD

When he walked in he saw a frantic Cameron talking to the officer at the front desk. After a few moments the officer nodded and led the way to another part of the building. Chase's curiosity got the better of him and he trailed a little ways behind them.

The three went down a flight of stairs and wound up in what appeared to be the holding area. It occurred to Chase that he had never been in a jail cell before. Yes, he'd had some close calls with the law, but thanks to daddy dearest, he had never actually been arrested and forced to sit behind bars.

Chase looked around and tried to figure out which of the detainees had called Cameron. Who was it? A friend? A family member? House? He shivered at the prospect of the third option, but was relieved to find that House was _not_ the one in jail this time.

"Allie!"

"Mandy!"

A young blonde woman in a very short skirt and tank top jumped up from the bench inside the cell and ran to the bars, where Cameron was standing.

"Thank you so much for coming!" the blonde said, sounding very relieved.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Cameron had jumped right into that maternal mode. But Chase was standing there, trying to figure out who this girl was. She obviously wasn't Cameron's daughter; they looked to be about the same age. They didn't look all that much alike, so that ruled out a sister…

"Can we just get out of here?"

Cameron nodded and the same officer that brought her down led her back up to where the necessary paperwork was taken care of. Cameron paid the bond and this girl, this Mandy, was brought back up to meet her.

The two women hugged. Still, Chase was standing a few feet away trying to figure out whom the woman was. She was obviously very close to Cameron, which came as a bit of a shock, considering she looked very different from his colleague. Mandy looked like she was your typical NYC party girl, with no care for responsibility. Chase had always viewed Cameron as very uptight. Mandy was her polar opposite.

The girls had pulled apart and Mandy was now looking at Chase with a puzzled look on her face. Cameron noticed the source of the confusion and motioned for Chase to come a little closer.

"Mandy this is my co-worker, Robert Chase. Chase, this is my sister, Mandy."

She _was_ her sister? How was that possible? Half-sister, maybe, but there was no way this girl could share so many of the same genes as Cameron.

"Hey," Mandy said in a friendly tone, smiling at the Australian. He smiled back and shook her hand. "Sorry that my sister had to pull you out of bed at this hour too,"

"Naw, don't worry about it," Chase lied. Truthfully, he was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to get back to sleep, but he figured that answer might score some brownie points with Cameron.

"So, you must be exhausted, let's go home," Cameron said.

"Yes please," Mandy replied.

The two girls headed out the door and Chase followed. They got to the car and he drove them back to Cameron's. The ride was silent the whole way. Chase had a million questions he wanted to ask, but didn't have the guts. He figured Cameron would just shoot him down, so he opted to keep them to himself.

From the backseat, Mandy watched her sister and her co-worker, who were completely ignoring each other's existence. She found it almost amusing, and it was obvious to her that something was going on there. You don't rush out of bed at three in the morning for just anybody.

When they got out of the car, Chase and Cameron looked at each other, and stood there awkwardly.

"Well, thanks for the ride, Chase. See ya tomorrow," Cameron turned to walk back inside.

He didn't think she would invite him back in. He had his clothes on, he'd been her chauffeur, they obviously weren't going to have sex again, his work there was done. He just couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that she had just rubbed him off like that, so quickly. He couldn't deny it. He wanted to be more to her than just a bed romping partner.

"Yeah, sure, tomorrow," Chase answered faintly when Cameron was already out of earshot.


	3. The Fight

I realize the last chapter was a bit confusing, but hopefully this one will sort it out a bit. If it doesn't, then the next one definitely will.

Since the emails from this site were messed up this week, I didn't get all the review alerts till yesterday. Normally I would send each of you a reply, but this week, I can't, so I must thank:

Bec0512, SG-Fan, bumble.bee.220, blackend, dorfinmat47, and draconiandevil5.

Thanks guys!

* * *

The next morning, or I guess you could say later that same morning, Chase was sitting in the diagnostics office, trying not to fall asleep. Foreman came in and threw a crossword at him. 

"Yo, Chase, what are you doin' man? Didn't you sleep at home?"

_Why does everyone insist on throwing things at my head today?_ "No," Chase responded, rather harshly.

"Oh no," Foreman said. "You and Cameron again? Honestly dude, this can't end well."

"I thought you didn't care."

"I don't, but like I said, this is going to end up affecting you at work, which is going to affect me, which is going to affect our ability to work together, which is going to affect our patients."

"Cameron and I know what we're doing," the Aussie responded.

"Do you? Because from where I'm sitting, it doesn't look that way." After a few moments of silence, he said quietly, "Was it really that good?"

Chase looked up, alarmed. "My god Foreman."

"Hey, I didn't mean it that way," the neurologist said, throwing his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying, you're really tired this morning."

"Yeah, well, that's actually because Cameron woke me up in the middle of the night to go down to the police station to pick up her sister."

"What?"

"Yeah, I didn't even know she had a sister. They don't look anything alike either. Anyway, I had to drive because her car's in the shop."

"So what's she like? The sister?"

"She's the polar opposite of Cameron. Blonde, carefree, _very_ short skirt," Chase stopped when he saw Cameron and House come into the room.

"Blood work's back. Guess what? It's not lupus! Who wants to try again?" House berated them all. Chase and Foreman abruptly dropped their conversation and directed their attention back to the current case.

HMDHMDHMD

Mandy Meyer wandered around her sister's living room, studying all the little trinkets as she went. It had been a while since she'd been here. Mandy's life revolved around one simple rule; don't find a place to call home.

Mandy was a party girl, as pure as they come. She went out clubbing practically every night, had unprotected sex with men she hardly knew, and it wasn't too uncommon for her to wake up in a different place than where she'd been the night before, with no recollection of how she got there.

Her lifestyle drove her big sister crazy, but she was 25, she could make her own decisions. As different as they were and as much as they disagreed about the way each other had chosen to live, Mandy and Allison loved each other very much. Mandy always knew she could trust her big sis and she would come and help her out whenever she was in trouble. With their parents, Mandy had never felt that she could totally trust them like that, and that they'd always be by her side. She'd never doubted her sister's loyalty to her.

Amanda and Allison Meyer had a system. Mandy would call in the middle of the night, from jail or some other place Allison hated to think of her sister being, every couple months, begging for her sister to come pick her up. Allison would jump out of bed and rush to the rescue. The sisters would head home to Allison's place, and for a day or two, they would act as if nothing happened, and as if Allison condoned what her sister was up to. Then, without warning, they would get into it, screaming at each other loud enough to wake the dead. They would fight about how irresponsible Amanda was, and how Allison wasn't always going to be there to clean up her messes; that one day, she was going to have to smarten up. One of them would storm out, usually Mandy, and they wouldn't speak for another day or two. After this time, they would make up and Mandy would continue to crash at her sister's for a little while. Then she would head back to New York City and resume her crazy lifestyle, and the cycle would start over again.

It was weird, but it worked for them.

This time, however, the presence of Robert Chase in her sister's life made the situation a bit more complicated. Sure, Cameron had had boyfriends in the past, but with Chase, she was closer to acting just like her sister than ever before. This realization made Cameron a bit more uncomfortable and things became a bit more tense than usual. She was supposed to be the responsible one who chastised Amanda for her behaviour. If Mandy knew about her and Chase, she would have every right in the world to call Cameron a hypocrite.

So as Cameron saw it, the only logical solution was to keep Mandy and Chase from having any interaction. It would be like they never existed to each other. The only problem with that was that they'd already met. Cameron knew Mandy was a very perceptive girl. She didn't have to tell her about Chase, she knew she'd given it away last night in the car.

"So, how long are we gonna tip-toe around this?" Mandy asked her sister as she entered the room, carrying two cups of hot cocoa.

"Tip-toe around what?" Cameron asked innocently.

"You and that hottie," Mandy smiled.

"Who? Chase? There's nothing to tip-toe around. There's nothing between us."

"Uh, yeah, right. Come on Allie, you can't hide this from me. I know what I saw last night."

Cameron sat back on the couch and sighed. "Here's the deal, I don't have a thing for him, he doesn't have a thing for me. It's nothing serious; we're just having fun. He's not going to turn into anything major, and hell, it might end soon anyway. It's nothing for you to read into."

"Hmm," Mandy said. "So what you're saying is you're having casual sex with a guy. Not just any guy, but a guy you work with and will have to continue to work with even if things turn sour."

Cameron knew this was coming. She slowly nodded.

"Allison Cameron I am impressed with you!" Mandy exclaimed.

Cameron's eyes widened. "What?"

"Oh come on, admit it. You're loosening up, living a little."

"No, no, that is not what I'm doing. I'm not you Mandy."

She looked hurt. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Here it comes, the fighting part. Except this time it would be harder for Cameron to win.

"I just…nothing," Cameron averted her eyes as she set down her coffee cup.

"No, say it."

Cameron sighed and looked at her sister. "Okay, you want honesty? I can't keep doing this, Mandy. You're old enough to start taking care of yourself. I have to get on with my own life. I can't just be your wrangler."

"My _wrangler_?" Mandy spat out. Okay, that wasn't a part of their system.

"I've got my own life now. I've got…work and friends and…"

"Chase?"

Cameron paused. "He has nothing to do with this."

"Oh really? Well, I seem to recall you having work and friends all the other times you've helped me out. The only difference now is Chase. You're saying all of this because of him. Look, if you're worried that I'm going to cramp your style, don't. I can be subtle."

Cameron was angry now. "MANDY! THIS IS NOT ABOUT CHASE!"

"Then why are your eyes about to bulge out of your head?"

"BECAUSE I'M ANGRY WITH YOU! FOR BRINGING IT UP! AS IF YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO TRY AND HAVE A RELATIONSHIP ANYWAY!"

"WHAT?!" The other sister was equally as angry now. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT _MY_ RELATIONSHIPS? YOU DON'T PAY ENOUGH ATTENTION TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MY LOVE LIFE!"

"EXCUSE YOU? I'M THE ONLY PERSON IN OUR ENTIRE FAMILY THAT PAYS ATTENTION. I PAY MORE ATTENTION THAN YOU DESERVE. MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE JUST FOLLOWED MOM AND DAD'S LEAD AND DISOWNED YOU."

Mandy couldn't take this anymore. She had to get out of there. "FINE! IF THAT'S HOW YOU FEEL, DO IT, I DON'T CARE. HAVE A NICE LIFE, SIS."

And with that she stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Cameron was stunned. She sat down on the couch and tried to catch her breath. _That_ had to go down in the record books as one of their worst fights ever. And instead of fighting about Mandy's irresponsibility, they had fought about…Chase?

Had Cameron actually let _Chase_ cause that huge blow up between her and her little sister? Had she actually let Mandy's innocent little comments about their relationship send her into hysterics? Why? Chase didn't matter to her. Why couldn't she have just shrugged it off?

So on top of those questions, she had to worry about her sister too. It never failed, no matter how bad their argument was, when Mandy stormed off, Cameron always worried. She thought she might be programmed that way. No matter how angry she was at her, the big sister in her had to worry.

She knew that, despite what she had said, Mandy could take care of herself. At least when she was alone and on the streets. That's not really what Cameron had in mind when she wished for her sister to become independent, but at this particular moment in time, she was grateful for it.

Now she had calmed down and was thinking about going to take a nice long bubble bath when the phone rang. Oh no, what if a neighbour had heard the arguing and was going to call the cops? She debated not answering it, but in the end, she gave in and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cameron, it's me."

At the sound of Robert Chase's voice she stopped. She didn't need this right now, but she couldn't deny that there was a part of her that was happy that he'd called.

It was only a small part though.

"Chase, not tonight."

The Aussie paused. "You okay?"

"Yes! I'm fine! Just because I don't want to have sex with you tonight doesn't mean there's anything wrong!"

"That's not what I meant!" Chase squeaked, trying to do damage control. "It's just…you sound a little tense."

"All the more reason for you to let me go. I'll see you tomorrow." And without even a goodbye, Cameron hung up the phone. She trudged back into the apartment and started to run that bubble bath, she needed some serious relaxation right now. She needed to forget about Mandy, about Chase, about the whole damn world. She just needed to find an oasis and stay there.


	4. Scotch, on the rocks

Out of the four chapters so far, this one is my favourite. I really hope you guys like it. :)

* * *

What is it about bars? When you see them in movies, they're all stuffy and filled with dirty drunks and the few pretty people there and sitting there staring into their drinks, feeling sorry for themselves about some major, in all actuality minor, problem that has become the center of their universe. 

But when a certain man came up to Amanda Meyer, she couldn't figure out which category to place him in.

She'd just been sitting there, thinking. Doing nothing but thinking. And holding back tears. Thinking and holding back tears. Why is it she did so much of that whenever she and Allie saw each other? She hated that, but as much as she willed it not to happen, it somehow always did.

At first, she didn't hear him come up behind her.

"Scotch, on the rocks," he said to the bartender, who nodded and quickly disappeared.

He looked her up and down, while she continued to look at her tonic swirling around in her glass.

"Well, what's a pretty thing like you doing all the way out here?"

As if _that_ didn't sound like a movie line.

Finally, she looked up and faced the owner of the cheesy greeting.

What she saw, she liked. He was older, but she liked older men. He wasn't clean-shaven, and she wasn't opposed to that either. And then there were those blue eyes that held her captive, threatening to never let her look away again.

"All the way out here?" she questioned.

"Well, you're definitely not from Jersey. I would have seen you here before."

"Jersey's a big place."

"It's the fourth smallest state in the country."

She couldn't help but crack a smile. "Okay then, Mr. Know-it-all, what's my story?"

"Well, I'd say you're from the Midwest, with a hint of New York."

Amanda gaped at him open mouthed and her drinking companion knew he was right.

"You're good."

"I make it my business to know other people's business."

"So you're a cop?"

He snorted. "No, but let's not talk about me. Have a fight with the boyfriend?"

She sighed and turned back to face the bar. "My sister," she confessed.

"Ah," the man said. "She steal your favourite sweater?"

Mandy threw her head back and gave an incredulous laugh. "God, why is it that all men think that girls can only fight about insignificant things; that we don't have feelings and thoughts beyond that?"

"Whoa, don't go getting all deep on me. I'm here to have fun, not to analyze."

"I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you. I'm just…mad at myself."

"Because you let her take the sweater?"

"GOD!" Mandy shrieked. "Would you shut up about the sweater?! There is no sweater! We fought about a guy!"

He snorted again. "And you expect me to believe that girls are not close-minded."

"Not _over_ a guy, _about_ a guy. She's dating this guy she works with, but she won't admit she really has feelings for him, and I was just trying to open up her eyes, and she freaked on me."

"So she must really like him."

"That's what I said! But Allie didn't care. And we got into it, and she brought up my less than spectacular track record with men, and…why am I telling you all this?"

"I don't know, why are you?"

Mandy sighed. "Allison and I…we have issues. I guess it's partly…okay, _mostly_ my fault, but, I just really hate it when we fight."

The man just took a drink of his scotch, so Mandy continued.

"There was a time when we were close, you know. Me and Allie. When we were little, she was always there for me, protecting me, and I tried to be there for her. Which was kind of hard when I was five, but I can honestly say that our childhoods were nice. Then we had to go and grow up."

"And the shit hit the fan?"

She laughed again. "Yeah, that's putting it mildly."

"So, what's your plan? Stay here for a while and patch things up?"

"Probably not. We never do. In fact, I think I gave her permission to disown me tonight."

The man looked over to the bartender. "Hey Carl! Another round over here."

Mandy smirked at him. "Well," he said, "as long as we've both got nowhere to be…"

"Hey, don't have to ask me twice," she said, turning around as Carl came over.

"I didn't think so," he said as Mandy took another shot of her vodka tonic.

Gregory House smiled. It was going to be one interesting night.

HMDHMDHMD

Drown out the world, that was her plan. She had the sombre music playing, had poured nearly the whole bubble bath into the tub, and was lying back, eyes closed, breathing in the aroma of the scented candles set up all around her.

But it is extremely hard to drown out the world when it won't stop banging on your door.

"Cameron! Are you in there? I know you are. Open up." Chase was calling from out in the hallway.

He'd been there for about five minutes. At first, she thought it was just a neighbour who could come by again later, no reason to leave her sanctuary; but as time wore on, the pounding got more insistent, and then he started calling out.

And she knew if she didn't let it in, the world would just break the door down and roll right up to her.

So she got out of the tub and wrapped her robe around her, mumbling something about pneumonia, and headed toward the noise.

"Shut up, I'm coming!" She groaned. Finally the pounding stopped.

"Uh, hey," Chase said once she had opened the door.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to see you."

"I know, it's just you sounded so upset on the phone, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Well, right now I'm wet. Can we do this in the morning?"

Chase looked at her for a long moment. "Can I come in?"

Cameron sighed. Why couldn't he just leave? She decided she might as well let him in.

Chase wandered around her living room, just as Mandy had a few hours earlier, while Cameron went to change. Sure, he'd been to her place plenty of times, to have sex, but he'd never really looked at the place.

Just as he'd suspected, the apartment was neat and tidy. Cameron liked things in order. There wasn't a hair out of place. On the surrounding tables he saw photos, many of her and her sister, which he also didn't find surprising. Chase had pegged Cameron to be the "family values" type of girl, and he loved that about her. He loved _her_.

"So," Cameron said as she emerged again, now in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants.

"So," Chase repeated. He looked around the room. "Where's Mandy?"

Cameron looked away. "Uh…she's out."

There was something about the way she said it, or maybe Cameron just wasn't that great a liar, that made Chase conclude Mandy was the source of whatever had caused Cameron's mood tonight.

"Something happen between you two?" He asked casually.

"We had a fight." Cameron had blurted it out before she had a chance to think.

"About what?"

"You."

"Me?" Chase asked disbelievingly. "What could you possibly have to fight about concerning me?"

Cameron sighed. "It wasn't really about you. It just started out about you. It's no big deal, it's just something we do, whenever she gets into trouble and comes to stay here."

"But then why do I get the feeling that it was more than that?"

Once again, Cameron didn't look at him. "Okay, fair enough, it was a bit worse than usual. I kind of said I was gonna disown her."

"You what?!"

"I didn't mean it, it just came out. I was really mad. We both were."

"Do you know where she went?"

"Probably some bar," Cameron said non-chalantly. Chase raised his eyebrows. "My sister can take care of herself."

"Well, listen, I'm sorry, but I'm sure you guys will make up."

"Yeah, maybe."

There was a pause, and then Chase couldn't help but ask, "So, what's the deal with her?"

Cameron turned her head. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you guys are so different, and yet you're sisters. How come she didn't inherit that responsibility thing you've got going on?"

Cameron smiled for the first time that night. "Well, that depends on who you listen to. If you ask my parents, it's all my fault, if you ask Mandy, it's all our parents' fault."

"And if I ask you?"

"I…don't know. I think it was just bound to happen no matter what. Having a few of the same genes doesn't make us clones of each other. Besides, it's not always a bad thing, that Mandy likes to be different."

"True," Chase said.

"Listen, you didn't have to come all the way out here at this hour."

"Yes, I did."

Cameron gave him a questioning look, so he continued. "I care about you. A lot. I want you to know that. I'm not gonna stop caring if for whatever reason we don't continue with our…arrangement one day. Cameron, I'm not some heartless bastard, if you need me, I'm gonna be here for you."

What exactly was she supposed to say to that? She couldn't tell him she felt she same way, she couldn't even tell herself that. Or at least she couldn't acknowledge it to herself. Which one it was, she still wasn't sure. But she had to say something.

"Chase...I, I don't know how I feel, about any of this. All I do know is there's something between us that I can't put a name on, and I'm kind of scared to."

Chase nodded. "I won't push you. Just come to it at your own pace."

Cameron was taken aback. Chase was being so…gentlemanly. She wasn't aware this side of him existed. When she'd first suggested what she'd suggested, the reasoning behind it was no feelings would be involved. Chase, in her eyes, was a ladies man. He did things like this all the time. So why was it different with her?

There was a lingering moment, and Cameron suddenly felt the urge to kiss him. Not to have sex with him, to just kiss him. Chase wanted to do the same to her. They stared at each other in silence. If either of them made this move, it would mean something. It would change everything. It wouldn't be like any other kiss they'd ever shared.

And they were both scared to make the jump.

Slowly, Chase leaned forward. Cameron didn't pull back; she just sat there, frozen solid. But then, as he came closer, she found herself leaning in. And then, still at a snails pace, their lips met.

The kiss was soft, gentle. At first, it startled Cameron. She was so used to him ramming his tongue in her mouth like they were on a clock (and usually, they were). This had taken her by surprise. She started to ease up, and let him massage her tongue with his. It felt so good, it was like they were really connecting emotionally for the first time, and they both found themselves not wanting it to end.

But it did.

Suddenly, Cameron pulled away. They stared at each other, unmoving. There was another silence. Neither of them knew what to do. It was like they were seeing each other in a different light now. For Cameron, the old Chase was gone. Her eyes had been opened to a new person. And she liked it.

"I…uh…sorry," Chase stuttered out.

"No, don't be sorry." Cameron smiled at him, and he smiled back. "But, uh, I guess you should get going."

"Right, of course." Chase stood up and Cameron walked him to the door.

"Well, thanks for coming by. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya tomorrow."

Cameron shut the door and leaned her head against it. What had just happened? She and Chase, they had…whoa. She definitely didn't see that one coming.

On the other side of the door, Chase was stopped, pondering the same things Cameron was. That kiss…it had definitely been a sign of something. Something bigger than what they had planned on. But something he couldn't say he minded either.

And neither could Cameron.

* * *

Make someone's day; review. 


	5. The Morning After

I seriously didn't think I was going to get this chapter to you on time. But I did. Yay for me!

I don't think it's my best work, but I promise the next chapter will be better.

* * *

"I can't believe I picked a woman up at a bar, took her back to my place, and didn't sleep with her." 

Mandy turned around from where she was folding blankets on the couch. "Good morning."

House walked further into the living room. "And why are you so cheery? We both had a lot to drink last night."

"I guess I can just hold my liquor better than you can."

House popped a Vicodin and glared at her. "So, where are you gonna go?"

Mandy sighed. "Back to New York I guess."

House nodded. There was silence in the room as she continued to tidy up and he made no move to help her. Suddenly, House spoke.

"I can't cook."

"Excuse me?"

"I can't cook. Can you cook?"

"Uh…" Mandy said, unsure of where he was going. "Sort of. Why?"

"Do you wanna make me breakfast?" House surprised himself at what he was saying. He hated being around people, but for some reason, this girl, whose name he didn't even know, intrigued him. He wanted to be around her and learn more about her.

"And since you made it, I suppose you could stay and eat it with me," he continued.

"Um, thanks for the offer, but I really can't. I mean, it was nice of you to let me stay here last night, it's just…there's something I have to do."

House nodded again, understanding her meaning.

HMDHMDHMD

Cameron was in the diagnostics office, sorting through some mail. She couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. Chase had never kissed her like that. He was so much better at it than she thought.

She couldn't help it; she wanted to see him again. She wanted to do that again. For three years, she'd thought that House was the guy for her. Now she had to rethink that. When she'd kissed House, it hadn't been like it was with Chase.

Cameron started to blush just thinking about it, and quickly had to hide it as Chase came into the room.

"Hey," he said, smiling at her.

"Hey," she smiled back.

"So…listen, about last night-"

"I-"

"Hey people!"

They both stopped and whipped around to see House waltzing through the door. Shit. Why did he always have to interrupt such personal moments? It was really annoying.

His entrance had startled Chase. "What are you doing here?"

"I work here."

"Yeah, but…" he trailed off, realizing he had no end to that sentence that he wanted House to hear.

House just shook his head and ignored the Aussie. "So, how'd the latest treatment work?"

"It didn't," Cameron said.

"Okay, so what else could it be? Where's Foreman?"

"Right here," the neurologist ducked into the room.

"Okay, so what have we missed?"

Cameron and Chase tried to contribute to the discussion as best they could, but they couldn't help finding each other's gaze every once in a while and holding it. At least as long as they could until House saw them.

Before they knew it, a decision had been reached.

"Okay, do the Echo and ask her _again_ if she's ever been out of the country."

House retreated into his office for another round of Super Mario, and the ducklings headed off down the hall. Cameron and Chase found themselves lagging behind Foreman. When they got to the elevator, Chase brushed up against Cameron to reach the call button and she felt her breath catch. He pulled back and they smiled at each other again. The elevator dinged and Foreman gave them a look, so they quickly separated and tried to focus on something besides each other.

HMDHMDHMD

House was heading down the hall to the pharmacy for a Vicodin refill. As he turned around the corner he stopped short at the sight in front of him.

"Are you stalking me now?" he asked.

Mandy Meyer glanced up, surprised. "You work here?"

"Cuz, I'm flattered you know, but, it's a little creepy. And against the law."

"Dude!" Mandy interjected. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm actually here to see my sister."

House froze. Wait a minute. She came to see her sister at a hospital, this hospital. Her sister's name is…oh God.

"And…who is your sister?" He already knew the answer, but he thought he might as well ask.

"Allison Cameron. Dr. Allison Cameron. She's an immunologist and works under…" Mandy trailed off as she too put the pieces together. "Oh My God! You're Mouse!"

"House," he corrected.

"You're my sister's self-centred anti-semantic bastard boss!"

Before he could respond, Cameron approached, horrified at the scene in front of her.

"Mandy, what are you doing here?" she asked, avoiding all eye contact with House.

"I came to see you, but…I ran into…"

Cameron turned to look at House. "Dr. House, excuse us." She grabbed Mandy's hand and pulled her in the opposite direction as fast as she could.

HMDHMDHMD

Cameron found solitude for them in the lab. She sat down on a stool and motioned for her sister to do the same. Now that the House crisis had been avoided, she remembered what had happened the last time the sisters were together.

Mandy seemed to be having the same thoughts, and the lab went quiet. Finally, Cameron spoke up.

"So…what brings you by?"

Mandy was relieved that her sister had initiated the conversation. She stuck out the package she had been carrying in her hands.

Cameron raised her eyebrows, but took it and opened it up anyway. She smiled when she saw what was inside.

Banana bread. That was their thing. When they were kids, and one of them was feeling down about something, or when they'd had a fight themselves, the other would make banana bread. It was a kind of peace offering or a way to cheer the other one up. They didn't really know why it was banana bread, but they'd been doing it for as long as they could remember; it was second nature now.

"I'm so so sorry, Allie. I was such an idiot."

"No, I was the idiot. I never should have said those things to you." She paused before continuing. "It turns out you were right."

Mandy raised her eyebrows. "What happened with Chase?"

"We kissed." Cameron said, quickly looking away.

"Uh, Allie, you've done a lot more than that before."

"No, I mean we _kissed_. Not like any other time when we'd been having sex. It was different."

"And I take it you liked it."

Cameron responded by going a deep shade of red.

"Uh huh, I thought so," Mandy said proudly. "What would you do without me?"

Cameron smiled. "I don't even want to think about it."

"So," Mandy's voice got serious again. "What's your next move?"

"I don't know. We haven't really gotten to talk about what happened yet."

Mandy threw her head back. "See, that's your problem, Allie. You think too much. When you kissed Chase, did you think about that, or did it just happen?"

"Well…" Cameron got uneasy.

"Right, it just happened. And that's why there's no reason to talk about it. You did it, you liked it, why ruin that with embarrassing and time consuming analysis?"

Cameron had to admit; she did like the idea of skipping over all the talking and just focusing on her budding romance with Chase. Maybe her sister had been right all these years.

"And by the way, I'm sorry about just now, with your boss," Mandy said.

"That's not your fault," Cameron said.

"Do you think he's gonna ask a lot of questions?"

Cameron laughed. "He's House, of course he's going to ask a lot of questions. But I think I can handle it."

"Okay, well, if you need me to come and kick his ass, just say the word."

Cameron laughed. The thought of Mandy getting on House's case was quite amusing. What was even funnier was she knew her sister could take him.

But first things first; she needed to see Chase.

* * *

Reviews are awesome things. 


	6. First Date

I know, it's been a while without an update, I'm sorry. They might be slow for the next little while, as I have exams coming up, but I'll try to stay on top of things here.

I'm still not totally happy with this chapter, but, we'll see what you guys think.

Disclaimer: House, Party of Five, and the Fox Network do not belong to me. Rosie's is fictional.

* * *

"Aw, I love Julia and Griffin. They're just so cute together." 

"What? No way. Julia and Justin were way better together. Griffin was such a sleazebag."

Mandy and Cameron were lounged on her couch watching a _Party of Five_ rerun, reminiscing about how much they'd loved the show when it was on. They were having such a great time. This was what sisters were supposed to do.

The phone rang and Mandy, who was closer, reached for it.

"Allie's place," she said into the phone.

After a moment of silence she spun around and covered the receiver with her hand. She started waving wildly to her sister and mouthing something Cameron couldn't make out.

The doctor hit the mute button on the TV. "What?" she asked.

"It's Chase!" Mandy exclaimed.

"Oh," Cameron said. They still hadn't really talked, or done anything, since that kiss two nights ago. She'd thought she might have scared him off, that maybe Chase wasn't ready for a long-term relationship. But right now he was on the other end of her phone. Maybe she'd been wrong.

She took the phone from her sister and walked into the kitchen with it.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," the familiar voice answered.

Silence.

"So," Chase said. "I've been thinking. And, well…how would you like to go on a date with me?"

Cameron was taken aback. "You're asking me out?"

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"Oh, well, um, okay. That sounds nice." She cringed at the way she'd said it.

"Good." Chase went on. "How's Saturday for you? Say, sevenish?"

"It's fine."

"Okay, I'll pick you up at seven on Saturday."

"Okay."

Silence.

"Well, I better let you get back to what you were doing." Chase said.

"Yeah, see you later."

Cameron hung up the phone and stared at it. She was going to go out on a date with Chase. The guy there was no way she was going to fall in love with had asked her out, and she'd said yes. Oh jeez.

As soon as Cameron walked back into the living room, Mandy turned around and started her interrogation.

"So, what did he say?"

"We're going out on a date."

"Seriously?" Mandy asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. He asked me, and I said yes. Why do you say it like that?"

"No reason. I just didn't think you were ready for that yet. But I'm happy for you. I think Chase really likes you."

Cameron set the phone back down on its handle and sat back down on the couch.

"Yeah, so what am I supposed to do about it?"

"You're supposed to give the guy a chance."

* * *

On Saturday night, Chase picked Cameron up at seven o'clock on the dot. She was dressed in a little black number and Chase was in a black suit with a red dress shirt and tie. When she opened the door, Cameron couldn't help thinking how handsome he looked. 

Chase had made reservations for two at a nice little restaurant called Rosie's. He knew Cameron would like it.

They were seated at a secluded table in the back of the restaurant.

Cameron was out on a date with Chase. She kept having to remind herself of that. She couldn't help but remember what her date with House had been like. It was an all too familiar setting.

But Chase wasn't House. He wasn't going to rip her to shreds even before the entrées. No, Chase was different. Chase was better.

So why was it so hard to convince herself of that? Chase was the kind of guy she _should_ be dating. House is the kind of guy she should be steering clear of.

"I hear the crab here is delicious."

She looked up at the sound of her dining partner's voice.

How was she going to get through this?

* * *

Mandy was lounged on her sister's couch, reading the latest issue of Cosmo (she'd found it buried under all the medical journals). Midway through an article about the most effective kissing strategies, the phone rang. 

"Hello?" she said.

The person on the other end of the line was quiet for a moment. "We've gotta stop meeting like this."

"Hey Mouse."

"I told you my name was House."

"Whatever Mouse. What can I do for you?"

"Is your sister around?"

"Nope, she's out with Chase. Is it an emergency?"

"She's out with Chase?"

"Yeah, they're on a date. Looks like what I said got through. Why?"

House hesitated. "No reason."

Mandy was quiet for a moment as she analyzed what House was saying. "Do you have a problem with my sister seeing Chase?"

House laughed. "No, why would I care what your sister does?"

"You tell me."

"You're just as bad as her, you know that?"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Mandy smiled.

"I didn't mean it as one."

"So, are we both spending the evening alone? You wanna maybe meet up for drinks again? Keep me entertained."

"I'm sure that many men, and probably some women, would love nothing more than to have your company, Amanda, but I think I'm going to pass."

"Fine, suit yourself." She was ready to hang up before she remembered why House had called. "Was there anything you wanted me to tell Allie?"

"What? Oh, no. I just called because I couldn't find a file, I thought she might know where it is."

"You're still at the hospital?"

"Well, those cases aren't going to solve themselves."

"No, it's just surprising, considering what I've heard about you."

House stopped. "And what exactly is that?"

Mandy said nothing.

"Listen, have her call me when she gets in. If not, I guess I'll just make her find it for me in the morning."

"Will do."

Mandy hung up the phone and smirked.

* * *

"I'm serious, she actually did that," Cameron said through giggles. It turned out that dinner conversation with Chase was easier than she thought it was going to be. She was currently recounting a story of how Mandy chased their cat up into a tree when they were kids and, like the cat, was too afraid to come down. 

Chase managed to get a hold of himself before replying, "You know, that sounds just like something your sister would do."

They traded stories back and forth for a little while longer, before Chase signalled for the cheque.

"Um, you know," Cameron said, getting his attention up from the receipt. "It's a nice night, why don't we go for a walk along the pier?"

Chase smiled. He'd been afraid that Cameron wasn't having a good time, that this date would be a disaster, that she wouldn't return his feelings. He was glad he'd been wrong.

As they walked along the boardwalk 20 minutes later, Chase noticed that Cameron was shivering. It was the beginning of April, so the weather was starting to warm up, but there was still a little nip in the evening air.

"Here," he said, giving her his jacket. She smiled as she took it from him. "Chivalry's not dead," he added.

They continued to walk and talk until finally it got late, and he drove her back to her apartment.

Cameron got out of the car but then she stopped and turned back around. There'd been something she'd been thinking about the whole ride home, and she'd decided to just voice it already. "Chase?"

"Yeah?"

"We should do this again sometime."

Both doctors went to bed with smiles on their faces that night.

* * *

A/N: I'd like to take a poll of my readers. I've been thinking more and more about the House/Mandy thing, and I can't decide what I want to do with them. So, I want to know what you guys think. Should I just leave them as sparring partners, or would you like to see something romantic? Be warned, I might not go with what you say, as everyone has different opinions and I might eventually make up my own, but for the time being, I'm really interested in what you think. So if you could just add that in at the end of your review (hint hint), it would be much appreciated. 


	7. Guess who's coming to lunch

I know, it's been a while, and I'm sorry. I knew what I wanted for this chapter, I just had trouble getting it underway, for a couple reasons, mainly because real life gets in the way of writing. Anyhoo...I hope you enjoy this part. :)

Oh yeah, the results of that poll were...dead even. lol So I'm going to stick to my original plan for House and Mandy. What was my original plan you ask? Well, you're gonna have to keep reading to find out!

* * *

Three weeks later Cameron and Chase were falling into a nice, normal relationship. They went out on typical dates, to the movies or to dinner, tried to sneak off together at work, and spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone when they were apart. For about the first week and a half Cameron kept pinching herself to make sure it was all real. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been in this good a place with a guy; it was a feeling she'd missed. Chase was equally grateful to be with her. He had even cut-back on his trash talking about the patients (much to Foreman's amazement). 

Cameron was walking down the hall on her way to file some of House's paperwork (which, of course, _she_ had been the one to complete), when she felt a hand reach out and grab her around the middle, yanking her into a secluded cove just off the hall.

She let out a yelp and struggled to regain her footing, when she looked up and saw the face of her kidnapper, securely holding onto her so she wouldn't fall.

Chase leaned in and kissed her. "Hello."

She smiled back. "Hey."

"So, I was thinking, I haven't seen enough of you lately."

She laughed. "You see me like five times every day."

"Well, fine then, I don't see you enough outside of that lab coat."

Cameron considered this for a moment. "You know, I was gonna have lunch with Mandy in about a half hour, but you can come if you want. I really want you guys to get to know each other."

"I'd love to," Chase replied. He leaned in and kissed her again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

* * *

Mandy wandered into the hospital cafeteria at twenty past twelve, and looked around for her sister. That of course wasn't easy in the sea of white, until she spotted the oddball in the group. She couldn't stop herself from heading in that direction. 

House looked up from his Reuben and rolled his eyes. "You again."

"Careful Mouse," Mandy said. "You're gonna make me think you don't like me."

House feigned an expression of shock. "No! Where would you get an idea like that!"

Mandy didn't answer him, just took the empty seat across from him and leaned back.

"You gonna sit there and watch me eat?"

It was her turn to roll her eyes. "I'm waiting for Allie, and I didn't want to keep standing."

House went back to his Reuben and silence fell over the table. Mandy glanced around the room, trying to find something to entertain herself. After a few minutes, House spoke.

"I thought you were heading back to New York."

She brought her attention back to him. "Yeah, I've actually decided I'm done with that."

He raised his eyebrows. "Done with what?"

"All the partying, and the jumping from one place to another at lightening speed. Allie's right, I need to get my act together, and I want to spend more time with her."

"So that's it then," House said with an air of skepticism in his voice. "You just turned over a new leaf, just like that."

"Well, I'm not going totally Mary Sue, if that's what you mean. I still like to have fun, it's just I'm going to tone it down a bit."

House nodded, as if approving of her decision, not that she needed it.

Just then, Cameron and Chase approached the table. Cameron was wearing a look of apprehension on her face, kind of like the one she'd had the first time House and Mandy had met. She wasn't sure why she had a problem with her sister and her boss hanging out together, but she wasn't particularly interested in finding out, because that would mean questioning her own feelings for House; feelings that she had tried very hard to push away.

House noticed them and plastered the biggest fake smile he could muster on his face. But before he could get a word in, Mandy spoke up.

"Hey Allie, Mouse was just keeping me company while I waited for you. Hey Chase."

Cameron had long ago given up trying to get her sister to start calling her boss by his real name. It had actually become kind of amusing. Instead, she turned to House and said, "Since when do you voluntarily associate with people?"

"Oh you know me," he responded. "I'm full of surprises."

"Well, we'd better go find a table," Cameron addressed her sister. "It's getting kinda crowded."

Mandy nodded. "Sure." She moved her hands to the arms of her chair, as if about to stand up, but then stopped and looked at House. "Unless you'd like to join us."

House looked slightly startled, and Cameron and Chase looked weary. When House saw their reactions to Mandy's proposal, there was only one thing he could say.

"Sounds great. Pull up some chairs, you two."

Cameron, ever the people pleaser, couldn't say no, and regretfully pulled up a chair, with Chase following close behind, equally as unimpressed.

Mandy had shuffled a little to the left to make some room for the couple. In doing so, she put herself in a closer proximity to House.

There was silence as the four just stared at each other, unsure of what to say. Mandy hadn't expected the awkwardness, and so, like her typical self, felt she had to do something about it.

She turned to her sister and said, "I suppose we should go get some food then."

Cameron looked up, as if this fact was dawning on her for the first time. "Right." She grabbed Chase's hand and stood up, heading for the cafeteria line. Mandy got up to follow them, but not before turning back to House and saying, "We'll be back."

House smiled. "I'll be waiting."

He leaned back in his chair, still smiling. It looked like today wasn't going to be just another boring lunch.

* * *

The three made their way through the cafeteria line as swiftly as possible, all the while avoiding looking at each other. Finally, Mandy decided she couldn't take it. 

"Okay, what did I do?"

Cameron turned around. "How could you invite House to eat lunch with us?"

Mandy was surprised. "Quite simply, actually. I just opened my mouth and the words came out."

Chase groaned, cutting her off. "The more time you spend with that man, the more like him you become."

She was taken aback, but opted not to say anything about it. Getting into an argument with her sister's boyfriend was not a way to impress Allison.

"Look, if you guys don't want to be around him, we can just sit somewhere else."

Cameron looked shocked and annoyed all in one. "We can't just leave him now! You've already committed us to it."

"I really don't think House cares about lunch etiquette." Mandy replied, although she knew that didn't matter to her sister. Once she was committed to something, she saw it through.

With full trays they headed back over to the table, where House was still sitting. They resumed their positions and the silence as well. The three picked at their food and House watched everyone, the forgotten leftover pieces of Reuben on the tray in front of him.

Of them all, Chase looked the most out of place, and House eagerly picked up on it. He turned to Cameron and said, "I think your boy toy is a bit uncomfortable."

Cameron set her fork down with a bit too much force. She had learned how to take House's snide comments about her over the years, but when he made snide comments about her new relationship with Chase, that, she was finding, she couldn't take.

"What is your problem, House? Why can't you just let people be happy? Just because you're miserable doesn't mean everyone else has to be."

Startled, Mandy stopped with her forkful of salad halfway to her mouth, and Chase choked on his soda, fearful of where this conversation would go.

"I didn't realize it mattered to you what I said, Cameron," House replied, the air of amusement still in his voice.

"It doesn't," she said, although even to her it didn't sound convincing.

"You know, cafeteria food has a bad rep. It's not all horrible, this is kinda tasty," Mandy cut in, trying to steer them away from a hostile conversation.

Both House and Cameron ignored her, and continued to stare each other down. Finally, Chase piped up.

"That's a good question." His girlfriend turned to face him, confused. "Why does it matter what House says?"

"I just said it doesn't."

"Yeah, and that sounded very believable."

Cameron's forehead crinkled up. "Chase, do we have to talk about this now? Here?"

"No, we don't. Let's go." He stood up and strode out of the room as fast and as purposefully as he could. Cameron followed him, glaring at her sister, who was turning a bright shade of pink.

* * *

As soon as Cameron exited the cafeteria she saw Chase, and he did not look happy. 

"What was that about?" she asked, bewildered.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same question," he countered.

"Chase, what are you trying to say?"

"You still have feelings for House, don't you?"

Cameron's jaw dropped. "Where would you get an idea like that?!"

"Oh, I don't know, it's not like it's perfectly obvious from the way you act around him, the way his comments affect you, how much you care about what he thinks of us."

"You're getting the wrong idea here," she said, trying to defend herself. "I said what I said because I like you so much, and I don't want anything to ruin what we have."

"House can only ruin it if you let him."

She sighed. "What do you want me to say? It seems like you've already made your mind up about this."

"Oh, so this is all my fault then? Just a figment of my imagination?! All those moments where you can't stop staring at him, or are desperately trying to impress him, that all doesn't mean anything."

"He's my boss. I want to do a good job for him, that doesn't mean I like him."

"But you've already admitted you like him. How am I supposed to know that you're truly over him?"

Cameron was starting to get angry now. "Oh, I don't know, maybe you could _trust me_!"

They were starting to get attention from passers by, so they both tried to regain control of themselves.

"You know, maybe it would be best if we just took a break, so you can decide what you really want."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Cameron froze. Was he really breaking up with her? After everything they'd been through together, he could just end it, just like that?

She didn't have time to continue these thoughts, because Chase turned on his heel and stormed off, moving as far away from her as fast as possible.

"Chase!" she called after him. "Chase, come on, we can talk about this!"

It was no use. It was over between them.

* * *

It has come to my attention that 64 percent of the people that have added this story to their alerts list have never reviewed. I'm not the kind of author that bullies people for reviews, because then they're not true, and I just don't want to do it, but come on people, it's just a common courtesy. 


	8. That was then, this is now

I'm not totally happy with this chapter, which I think I can attribute to the fact that I was distracted while writing it. Nevertheless, this is the final product.

And I would like to say a big big big thank you to my four wonderful reviewers, Neviwyn, Ellie 5192, blackend, and heather1021. Your reviews meant the world to me.

* * *

Mandy Meyer was at her wits end. 

Chase and her sister had broken up five days ago, and Cameron was not taking it well.

She dutifully went to work every morning, and tried to pretend that seeing Chase every day yet not getting to be with him didn't bother her, and at night she'd come home and mope around the apartment. She had adopted the theory that she wasn't worthy of Chase's love, and that she deserved everything she was getting; she just didn't have to like it. Mandy thought she was crazy, and Cameron's stubbornness was really starting to get to her. Mandy didn't see why she couldn't just call Chase up and work it out. Allison was good at that stuff. When they were kids, if Mandy lost her cool and got into an argument with one of the other neighbourhood kids, Cameron was always the one there to mediate, to try and get them to discuss it reasonably. But that Cameron was nowhere in sight; Mandy didn't recognize her sister these days.

After Chase and Cameron left the table, Mandy had had a few choice words for House herself.

"What did you expect me to do?" House had asked her, bewilderment in his voice. "I don't like Chase, I never have, and I'm not just going to turn around and be nice to him just because he's dating Cameron."

"You still didn't have to be that mean!" Mandy argued back. "He and Allie are really trying, and they don't need you to sabotage it."

"Did it ever occur to you, Amanda, that maybe if their relationship really was what you are all saying it is, I wouldn't _be able_ to sabotage it?"

She sighed and brought her eyes right up to House's, locking his gaze. "I just want my sister to be happy. She deserves it, Hell, she puts up with me; she should get some kind of reward."

House cracked a smile at that. Although he wouldn't admit it, he understood what Mandy was saying. He wanted Cameron to be happy too. It was Chase he didn't trust.

"Look, they'll fight, they'll ignore each other for a few days, and then they'll kiss and make up. It'll be like I never said anything."

Back then, when he'd said it, Mandy had been willing to believe it, but now, with each passing day that they didn't talk and her sister moaned, she was starting to lose her hope. And her sanity.

"Okay, get up."

Cameron lifted her head slightly off the back of the couch. "What?"

Mandy stopped in front of her and crossed her arms. "I said, get up."

Cameron, still curled up in a ball, a blank expression on her face, didn't move. "Why?"

"Because, Allie, I've had enough. You're not just going to sit around here and complain about how you're not with Chase anymore. You're going to get up, go out, and patch things up with him."

"Mandy, I told you, I can't do that. Chase broke up with _me_. If there's any chance of us getting back together, it has to come from him."

Mandy sighed and sat down next to her sister. "You know, you're really underestimating your powers of persuasion, sweetie."

Cameron gave a tiny smile. "Are you suggesting I jump him?"

Mandy dropped her mouth open in a mocking way. "Did I say that?"

Unable to hold in a laugh, Cameron turned away. Maybe Mandy was right. Maybe she needed to do something, instead of just sitting around bitching about how things didn't work out.

* * *

Gregory House was lounging in his office chair late that night, mulling over the past days' events. He kept thinking about what Mandy said. Had he purposely destroyed Cameron's relationship with Chase? Is that what he wanted? If it was, then why? Was it because he wanted her to be miserable just like him, or was it something else? 

He threw his red and grey ball up in the air for the thirty-sixth consecutive time. He was on a roll, going to set a new record for himself, when something caught his eye and he lost his concentration. The ball landed on the floor and rolled somewhere under his desk, but he wasn't going to pick it up just yet.

Cameron pushed open his office door and marched right up to him. Unlike the last week, she looked well put together, like she had actually looked in the mirror before leaving the house. Her hair was pulled back tightly into a ponytail, her sweater and jeans ensemble smooth and form fitting. House waited for her to initiate the conversation, but she didn't say anything.

"Well, I see we've picked ourselves up and dusted ourselves off. You really aren't the prettiest picture when you're moping. It does nothing for your skin."

"You suck."

House jerked his head back slightly. His eyes went a little wider. "Wow, that was such an awesome comeback."

"No, I mean it. You really suck."

House grimaced and tried again. "Okay, would you mind enlightening me on how you came to this newfound perspective?"

For the first time, Cameron's expressionless face changed. She gave a slight smirk. "You think that you can walk all over people. You think that you're bigger than them. The Great Doctor Gregory House, you're untouchable. You're devoid of human emotions, so you have no problem stomping all over other peoples'. It's a viscous cycle, and it's going to leave you all alone." She moved in and carefully enunciated the last two words.

"That was a great speech there, Cameron, but I gotta say, I'm missing the point. We all know I'm a jerk. Are you just deciding to announce it all to me now because the Wombat dumped you?"

She clamped her hand onto his desk and tried to force out a smile. "You're not going to get a rise out of me, House. I'm past all your antics. It doesn't matter to me what you say."

"It matters to Chase. Or at least, it looked that way."

She turned her head to the left and caught her reflection in the glass door. She looked calm, cool, and collected. There was no evidence on her facial features of the freak out she was having on the inside. She wanted to yell at House. She wanted it more than she'd ever wanted anything in a long time. To yell. To just get it all out there. But no. She was going to have a civilized conversation with him. Because that was the only way he would take her seriously. The only way to settle this once and for all.

"Here's how this is going to work. You are going to butt out of Chase and mine's business. Unless it somehow starts affecting our ability to work together, which it won't, but if it does, that is the only time you will have any right to intervene. If you wish to mock us you will do so with Wilson behind closed doors." She turned back to him. "Is that clear?"

House sat there staring at her for a minute. Who was this girl? The Cameron he knew did not stick up for herself like this.

There were a million things he could have said. A million things he could have done. He settled for the simplest.

"Okay."

Cameron nodded in recognition and made a swift exit from the room. Unlike all the other times she'd had private conversations with House, when she left, she wasn't thinking about what he was thinking. She was instead focused on one last stop she had to make tonight.

* * *

Robert Chase marched around his apartment looking for an empty box. His face was laden with great determination, and he was not going to let anything distract him from his task at hand. He'd found a picture of himself and Cameron, holding each other and grinning from ear to ear, and he couldn't stand to look at it. So he'd decided to get a box and throw everything that reminded him of her from their very short relationship away. 

He opened the front hall closet door and found just what he was looking for. He reached down and lifted up the large brown box, when that distraction he wasn't looking for popped up.

The deep ring of the doorbell filled the apartment. Chase really was not in the mood to see people right now, and he couldn't fathom who it could be, but he decided to answer it anyway; it was the fastest way to get rid of the caller.

He stalked across the room and begrudgingly threw the door open.

"What?"

He froze when he saw the person on his doorstep. Allison Cameron was standing off to the right, as far away from the door as she could manage without falling down the steps, with her arms wrapped tightly around her body. She avoided his gaze, and instead took an interest in her shoes.

"Ca-Cameron, what are you doing here?" Chase stammered out.

She brought her head up slightly, but still avoided his eyes. "I thought we could talk." She said it so quietly she wasn't sure he could hear her.

"There's nothing to talk about," he said in a biting tone.

For a minute she clenched again, and looked back at her shoes, but then, something in her seemed to snap, and she looked up, this time grabbing his gaze and holding it. "Yes, there is." She spoke with a sharp certainty that startled Chase. "Just let me in, please?"

He sighed. This wouldn't go well. He knew it. He knew she knew it. But he'd be lying if he said he hadn't wanted to talk to her too; if nothing else, to find some closure.

He stepped aside and she cautiously made her way into his living room. As she glanced around she noted that it looked pretty much the same. Granted, it hadn't been all that long, but she figured it might be a little bit different. She hadn't been expecting him to go totally feung-shui to get rid of all the negative energy their relationship and break up were sure to provoke, but she thought that in her absence, it might have changed. Just a little.

"So," Chase said, pulling her from her thoughts. "Talk."

She took a deep breath before beginning and thought back to her sister's words. _It's now or never, Allie_. "I understand that you have concerns about my feelings for House."

"So you admit there are feelings?" Chase pounced immediately.

She struggled to maintain her composure. Getting into another screaming match would not be the most productive way to reconcile. "I admit that I once cared for him very deeply, yes."

Chase bit his lip and hesitated before speaking again. "And what about now?"

"There was a time when I couldn't see what everyone else saw in House. I only saw the good. But I'm not that naïve anymore. I get it. And I'm over it."

So they were back to where they were a week ago. "How am I supposed to know that?"

At this Cameron stepped forward, once again taking hold of his eyes with hers. "I went to him tonight. If it wasn't clear before then it's clear to him now where I stand. House means nothing, and I can show you that. You just have to let me."

She took another step closer, and as she did so she felt him stiffen. She chose not to acknowledge it, and kept going. She leaned in, brushed her left hand up against his right, their bodies touched. With total control, total investment, she went in, she kissed him. Long and hard, not letting him break free. At first he fought her, but then, all at once, he let himself go.

The box dropped to the floor.

* * *

So, how was that? 


	9. Double double toil and trouble

I swear I wanted to update this sooner! But I actually have a reason this time. My computer died, and shortly thereafter I went on vacation. Since I've lost my computer, I have to wait to get to use my parents', which SUCKS because that basically means I get no writing time. Not to mention how I lost part of the chapter, and had trouble rewriting it. I feel really bad about making you wait. Hopefully a long chapter will make up for it. ;)

* * *

"Stop it! Chase, I said stop, that tickles!" 

Things were finally back to normal. Cameron and Chase were lying on her bed, fooling around like normal couples should. They had gotten past the House incident, something everyone involved was grateful for.

Cameron finally managed to free her right hand from Chase's grasp and reached up to swat his hand away from her neck. He gave her a pouty look, and she returned it with a grin.

As she was about to lean in and give him a kiss, she was startled by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Let Mandy get it," Chase said.

Cameron happily obliged and went back to what she was doing. But as the ringing continued, it became clear to Cameron that her sister had no intention of answering the call.

She lifted her head up and groaned. "I swear, if that girl doesn't start earning her keep around here..."

Beneath her, Chase was having the same thoughts. It had been a while since he'd gotten to be alone with his girlfriend, he wanted to take advantage of every second of it.

Cameron reached the phone and placed it to her ear. "Hello?"

After a moments pause, she sat up and quickly worked herself off of Chase. "Hi, Mom."

There was another pause as she listened to the other end of the line. Chase did his best not to make any noise. He'd gotten the hint that Cameron didn't want to make her parents suspicious. Although that annoyed him a little, he decided to let it slide. This relationship was still new.

"Oh, uh, well, I'm not sure when I'm free..."

From the look on her face, he could tell that she wasn't happy with where this conversation was going. The question was, where _was_ the conversation going?

"Yeah, but see, the thing is..."

Chase wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Stay, and listen to the awkward call, or give her the room and wait until she was done.

He finally decided to do the latter. He silently motioned to her that he was just going out into the hall, and she nodded her recognition before turning her attention back to the call.

* * *

Chase headed out to the kitchen where he found Mandy, seated at the table with her feet up on the chair in front of her, focusing intently on painting her toenails. Chase rolled his eyes. Girls could just be so...girly. 

"Nice of you to answer the phone," he remarked coldly as he grabbed an apple out of the fruit basket on the table.

Mandy looked up at him for the first time since he'd entered the room. "You don't expect me to get up now, do you? My nails aren't dry yet!"

Had his mouth not been full, Chase would have responded to that. But by the time he swallowed, Cameron had come into the room. She looked worn out. When he'd been with her a few minutes ago, on her bed, she'd been happy and full of energy. Now, she looked like she'd been totally drained.

"What's up?" he asked her, concern in his voice.

She sat down in the chair across from her sister and sighed. She didn't look around at Chase, instead stared straight at Mandy.

"Mom called."

Mandy froze, her cheeks turning as pink as her nail polish. Chase looked between the two girls, trying to make sense of what was happening.

After a few moments of silence, Mandy finally spoke. She kept her voice steady and emotionless, her eyes still peeled on the pink polish.

"And what did she want?"

"She wants to come to dinner. Her and Dad."

Slowly, Mandy nodded her head. Chase sensed that he was starting to get a feel for what was going on here.

"Well then, tell me when it is and I'll make myself scarce."

Cameron sighed again. "Mandy, you know-"

She shook her head and cut her sister off. "No, Allie, you know that's not an option."

"I just think that if you-"

"Stop it!" Mandy shrieked, exasperated. "How many times do I have to tell you, this is not negociable."

Cameron didn't want to start another argument with her sister, so she decided to take her advice. "Okay, I'll drop it." With that she stood up and headed out of the room, grabbing Chase's hand and dragging him along.

* * *

As soon as Cameron shut the door, Chase's questions started pouring out of his mouth. 

"What's going on? Why is your Mom coming to dinner? When is your Mom coming to dinner? What's up with Mandy and your Mom? Do-"

"Chase, shut up." Cameron barked. She didn't mean to, she was just frustrated.

Surprisingly, Chase did what he was told. He and Cameron went back over to her bed and sat down. She took a breath, then started to explain what had just happened.

"Mandy and our parents don't get along. They were never as understanding as I was about her...lifestyle choices. They had a falling out a long time ago, and haven't spoken since."

He took a second to process that information. He knew what it was like to not get along with your parents, but he also had a feeling that when it came to Cameron's family, when she said 'falling out', it was a lot more serious than you'd think.

"They don't know she's staying here, which is why I was trying to get out of dinner, but my mom is very good at manipulating people."

He nodded. "So, what are you gonna do?"

She looked down at her hands, which were intertwined with his. "Well, I don't have much of a choice. I have to host a dinner for my parents."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not unless you can find a way to keep my mother from noticing that Mandy's been staying here."

He knew she was only joking, but at that moment an idea struck him. "Actually, that might be possible."

Cameron looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if I came to dinner? I could be like a distraction, to keep your parents from picking up on the Mandy thing. And even if they do notice her stuff lying around, maybe they won't say anything, with someone else at dinner."

Cameron just stared at him. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"Are you asking me if you can come to dinner? Do you want to meet my parents?"

At the tone in her voice Chase started to reconsider his proposition. Okay, maybe that was a little too extreme. He didn't want to push her to go further with their relationship than she was willing. Meeting the parents would be pushing.

"Well, if you'd rather I not, it's totally fine, I just thought that if it would help..." He trailed off as his face reddened.

Cameron appeared to be considering it for a moment. When she opened her mouth it was with a slight hesitance. "Chase, I don't want to let you put yourself in this situation without making sure you understand just exactly what you're getting yourself into." She paused for breath. "My family is, to say the least, a disaster, and my parents are usually the best when it comes to demonstrating that fact."

He smiled at her. She was cute when she was nervous. "Look, honey, I know what parents can be like, but I promise not to judge you based on them." He leaned in, touching his forehead against hers so their eyes and lips were inches apart. "I won't let them scare me off."

Finally Cameron smiled. "Okay then, why not?"

* * *

On Friday night the dinner that was to wreck all havoc on the Meyer family was set to take place. When Mandy had found out about Chase coming to dinner, she had been skeptical, but had warmed to the idea, due to a lot of begging on Cameron's part, and had let herself be convinced to stay. 

It was a decision she was starting to regret.

Mandy hadn't seen her parents in six years. Six years of birthdays, Christmases, no contact whatsoever. It was like she was the forgotten child, the daughter that didn't exist. That hurt her.

Okay, so maybe she'd been partly to blame. All through her teenage years she pushed her parents to their limits. But that was what teenagers were supposed to do, wasn't it? You didn't just shut your child out because she pissed you off sometimes.

Allison had been there for her. She had always been the one the younger Meyer sister could run to, the one that was understanding. She would even on occasion stand up to their parents on Mandy's behalf. Through all those years, Mandy had valued that more than anything in the world.

But even still, she was nervous about the dinner. There was no telling how her parents would react to seeing her (especially her mother), and how she would react to seeing them.

Cameron, on the other hand, had thrown herself head-first into dinner preparations, not allowing herself to consider all the ramifications of the evening. She had thrown on her best "family dinner" attire, which consisted of a deep burgundy knee-length skirt and a pink blouse that she hated, but her mother loved, and spent about an hour on her hair, trying it a million different ways.

"I don't understand why you're trying so hard," Mandy had remarked from where she was perched on the side of the bathtub. "_I_ don't care what I look like in front of her." All Cameron did was turn around from where she stood in front of the mirror, holding half her hair up on her head, and glared at her sister.

Chase got there twenty minutes early, just like Cameron had told him to. He looked particularly handsome, she had noted, in his navy blue blazer that brought out his eyes and a white button down that made him look polished yet not overdone.

He came up behind her in the kitchen, where she was stirring some kind of pasta dish. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he leaned around and kissed her cheek. She jumped.

"Watch it! This is hot!"

He couldn't help but laugh at her now, in her frantic state. "Honey, you've gotta relax."

"I can't relax," came the reply. "My parents are coming here."

She continued to bustle around the kitchen, and Chase tried to sit down and lounge, but Cameron nixed that idea, quickly setting him to work getting the table ready.

Mandy finally came into the kitchen, and she did not look impressed. "Are you happy now?"

Cameron turned. Mandy was wearing a forest green v-neck sweater and black dress pants. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she'd finished the look with a light pink lipstick and touch of mascara.

Her big sister smiled. "Yes, actually, that's much better." Mandy had been perfectly content with wearing ripped jeans to dinner, but at the mere thought of that Cameron had nearly had a heart attack, and sent her to change into something respectable.

Just then, the sound of the doorbell pulled them all from their thoughts.

"They're here," Cameron announced. Chase sensed the slight panic in her voice. "Okay, I'll get it. Chase, I need you to grab the wine and glasses over there. Mandy-"

"I'm gonna go hide 'til you get them drunk enough for me to reveal myself," Mandy said, cutting her sister off.

Chase and Cameron both ignored that comment. They had a plan, they were going to get through this.

* * *

Cameron opened the front door to reveal an older couple dressed as though they were attending a business meeting. The man looked tired yet cheerful, but the woman's stance did not seem at all inviting. That is, until she saw her daughter. 

"Allison, darling! It's so good to see you!"

Cameron gave a brief smile. "Hi Mom, hi Dad, come on in."

She quickly hugged her parents and led them into the living room. As soon as they sat down, before Cameron could ease them into it, Chase sauntered in with the wine.

Her mother looked startled, but quickly masked it with something resembling a polite expression.

"Mom, Dad, this is my boyfriend, Robert Chase."

Her father stepped forward and shook Chase's hand. He was a stout man who looked as though he was in his early to mid 60s, had light blue eyes, and Chase figured that his light gray hair must have been blond in his youth. That explained how Mandy got it.

Chase moved to shake Cameron's mother's hand, but as he did so he was considering pulling away. He didn't, and she took his hand and gave it a light shake to go along with a small nod and a "How do you do?".

Cameron and Chase poured the wine for her parents and themselves and then settled back down on the couch. The four engaged in small talk for a little while. Cameron's mother told them how Cameron's father was doing some business in Trenton and they decided to drive up and visit. As she did so Chase took a minute to study her. She appeared to be in her late 50s, had dark brown hair slightly darker than her oldest daughter's, and dark brown eyes to match. Wrinkles were appearing at her temples, but Chase could tell she was overcompensating for that with her attire. She looked perfectly made up in what he guessed to be a designer suit and sparkling jewels hanging from her neck and ears. She seemed like a presentable wife.

It was at this time that Cameron suggested they head into the kitchen for dinner, so Chase quickly dropped his analysis of Cameron's mom. There'd be plenty more opportunities tonight to find out what kind of a person Virginia Meyer was.

* * *

"Before we eat," Cameron said as she sat down across from Chase at the table. Her parents looked up at her expectantly. "I need to tell you guys something. Well, it's not exactly me that has to tell you, it's..." 

"What is it, dear?" Her mother asked.

As if on cue, Mandy entered the kitchen.

The smile immediately disappeared off Mrs. Meyer's face, and Mr. Meyer choked on his wine.

Mandy slowly lifted her eyes from the ground and offered a soft, "Hi guys."

Virginia seemed to be fighting an internal battle with her mind, but finally, after a long silence, she settled it.

"Amanda, hello dear. Will you be joining us for dinner?"

Both the Meyer sisters mouths dropped open.

* * *

A/N: I need to take another poll of you guys. This time I need to know how far you want the Chameron thing to go. Do you want me to end this story with them in an established relationship, married, what? I'm not ready to finish this story, but after this arc, I'm not sure where to take it, so, I need your input! 

Okay, that's the end of part one. Review and you'll get part two. :)


	10. Fire burn and cauldron bubble

Okay, here's part two of Chapter 9. I know it's pretty much all dialogue, but there's no other way to do it. And I was just so rushed, I needed to finish this and get it out, because it's driving me insane. So please don't mention that in your reviews. I am already aware of it.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Or this part of a chapter. Whatever.

* * *

Mandy slowly made her way to the table and took the empty chair next to Allison. Nobody had been expecting this. Cameron and Chase had hoped, but they all knew that as soon as Virginia Meyer saw her youngest daughter, the one she ignored, standing in the kitchen doorway, she was going to flip. 

But she didn't. She'd calmly asked if Mandy would be joining them. It was a shock to everyone, including her husband.

Richard set his wine glass down and turned his attention to the free-spirited blonde on his right. "Would you like some peas, dear?"

Mandy gave her father a small smile and took the bowl he was offering. Cameron followed, picking up another bowl, and passing it around the table.

Once they had all settled in with their meals, Virginia spoke again. "So, Robert, tell me about yourself."

Cameron and Chase exchanged a glance.Well, that was what they'd wanted, right? The attention off Mandy. But now that they were here, neither of them were exactly anxious to talk about him or their relationship with her parents.

"Uh, well, there's not much to tell," Chase began.

"How did you meet my daughter?" Virginia prompted.

Cameron stole a look at Chase. Although Allison was her mother's favourite, she knew the older woman wouldn't like the fact that her daughter was dating a coworker, and she didn't want to be the cause of an argument, so she and Chase had previously come up with a "parental approved" story of how they got together. But she didn't need to worry, Chase knew what he was doing.

"Well, I'm an Intensive Care specialist, and we met at a conference," he lied to her mother.

Mrs. Meyer seemed to buy it so far, and motioned for him to continue. "So which hospital do you work at?"

"Princeton General." It came out sounding so natural Cameron almost believed him herself.

"So you've been working so close to each other and you didn't meet until a conference?"

Chase gave her his best "parent smile" and said, "Yeah, funny world we live in, isn't it?"

Throughout the meal Mandy stayed quiet. She was grateful her mom hadn't freaked out when she saw her there, but the fact that she hadn't freaked out also scared her. It gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, like this was the calm before the storm.

* * *

40 excruciating minutes later, the dinner party of five were still in the same spots, still eating and conversing together. But just like Mandy predicted, all good things come to an end. 

"So, Amanda, what are you up to these days?"

Everyone froze. Virginia hadn't addressed her youngest daughter at all except when she asked if Mandy would be joining them.

Mandy didn't look at her mother. "Uh, well, I..."

"Are you still with that boyfriend of yours? Mr. Grease Monkey?"

Now all four heads turned the other direction, towards the place the sound had come from, Mandy and Allison's father.

Richard had been quiet and let his wife interrogate their oldest daughter's boyfriend, but when it came to their youngest, he couldn't restrain himself anymore, he had to get a word in. Mandy had been his little girl. He loved Allison of course, but Mandy was the younger one, and she looked more like him, so he'd been very fond of her. When she'd stopped speaking to them six years ago it had broken his heart. He just wished more than anything in the world that Mandy could settle down and be responsible. He hated seeing her act the way she did.

Allison grabbed her sister's hand under the table and squeezed it, which seemed to help Mandy bite back the comment she'd wanted to use as a reply to the question.

Instead, she took a breath, met her father's eyes, and said, "No, Dad, we're not together anymore."

Richard grunted something that sounded like approval. Mandy, Cameron, and Chase breathed a sigh of relief.

"But I assume you found twenty more to replace him."

Just when they thought they'd been in the clear, Virginia couldn't help herself, and then all hell broke loose.

No amount of warnings from her sister could stop Mandy's outburst at this. "I knew it! I _knew_ that sincere thing was an act!"

"Mandy-" Cameron started, but was cut off.

"Well it's true, isn't it?" Virginia shot back.

"No, mother, it's not true! Why do you ALWAYS have to think the worst of me?"

Virginia gave a bewildered laugh. "Well, if you have to ask-"

"Ginny," Richard jumped in again. "The girl said she's not sleeping around, just let it go."

Mrs. Meyer looked at her husband in shock. "Are you taking her side?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh for Christ's sake, this isn't about sides!"

"Well, I think that's debatable. Mandy won't see reason, so it's us against her."

"Oh come on, this didn't have to be war, YOU chose to make it that way!" the furious blonde blurted out.

Since the arugment began, Chase had taken an immense interest in his food. He wasn't going to put himself in the middle of this. He wanted to help Cameron out, but apparently she'd been right, him as a distraction would only work for so long.

Across the table from him, Cameron had her eyes closed, like she was wishing this all to go away. He hated that she had to go through this, wished there was something more he could do.

"AND you put your sister in a terrible position, to choose, between her sister and her parents. Only an extremely selfish person would do that, Amanda."

At this Cameron looked up. She hated when she was dragged into their fights, but it happened more often than she wished to admit. Of course, that didn't keep her from trying to stay out of it.

"Oh really? Well, Allie doesn't seem to have a problem with it! She talks to me and to you guys, no choice needs to be made!"

Virginia stopped for a second and looked at Allison. "Exactly how often do you talk to your sister, Allison?"

Cameron bit her lip. She didn't want to do this, she really didn't, but what other choice did she have?

"Well, mom..."

"She's even letting me stay here!"

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. Mandy didn't mean to blurt that out, it just happened, she wasn't thinking.

Cameron looked horrified, staring at her sister with a look of confusion mixed with disbelief.

"She's doing _what?!_"

Cameron's mind was racing. Damage control. She needed to do damage control.

"Okay, Mom, see, what happened was-"

"I don't care what happened, Allison! How could you do this? I thought we agreed we needed a united front if we were ever going to straighten your sister out."

"We did, but-"

"Wait, you what?!" Mandy jumped in. "Were you conspiring with them against me?"

Crap. Crap crap crap crap crap. "I can explain..." Cameron started, although she wasn't sure who she was addressing with that, her mother or her sister.

At this point Richard spoke again, and not a moment too soon as far as the older Meyer sister was concerned. "Mandy, don't be angry at your sister. She was just trying to help you, and us. It's a tough position to be in."

Chase silently wondered how it was possible for a level headed man like Cameron's father to be married to a complete paranoid basket case like her mother. The thought was kind of amusing, but he was careful not to smile, not now.

The fighting had stopped for a second as Mandy took a breath. "You know what Dad? You're right." She turned to her sister. "I'm sorry Al, I shouldn't let Mom tear us apart, it's exactly what she wants." She turned to her mother. "And I'm not going to let her win."

"So it looks like I'm not the only one drawing the line of scrimmage."

Did her mother just use a sports metaphor? This was getting too much for Chase to take...

Mandy shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I say to you, does it, Mom? You're never going to believe it if I do something right. I'll bet the fact that I got a job means nothing to you."

Allison suddenly pulled her head up and looked at her mother. "That's true actually, Mom. She got a job. She's turning her life around."

Virginia scoffed. "You? You got a job? Is it legal?"

"See!" Mandy's cheeks were now flushed. She was breathing hard, but she didn't care. "None of it matters. You're such a hypocrite. I'm sorry Allie, but I can't do this anymore."

With that Mandy pushed her chair back with such force that she knocked it over, and then bolted from the kitchen. A few seconds later the slam of the front door could be heard. Cameron jumped.

Nobody spoke for a full sixty seconds. It was Richard that finally broke the silence.

"Well, I think it's best if we get going, Allison."

Cameron tried to hide her relief. "Yeah, alright."

She and Chase stood and walked her parents to the front door that Mandy had dramatically exited through a few minutes before. Richard reached out to hug his daughter. Cameron clung to him as tightly as she had when she was a child and had just had a nightmare.

Virginia and Allison didn't huge. All she got from her mother was a "Goodbye dear." And the two were out the door.

* * *

Mandy finally stopped running once she was safely onto the sidewalk outside the apartment building. 

She had to push the thoughts out of her mind. She grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket and flipped it open.

After the fifth ring, she heard a click and then deep breathing came over the line. Before the receiver could get a word in, she jumped straight to her reason for calling.

"Meet me for drinks."

"Mandy? Is that you?"

"Just be there."

* * *

House walked into the same bar he'd met Cameron's sister at the first night. He spotted her immediately near the end of the bar. She was hunched over her drink, like she was trying to figure out a way to disappear inside it. Now House was interested. When she'd called twenty minutes ago, he'd figured something was up, but he hadn't given it much thought at the time. As he approached her now, he thought back to the last time he'd met her when she was upset, and he noted that it was a different kind of upset this time. Before, it had been an angry upset, now it was a defeated upset. 

"You better have a good reason for dragging me out at this hour."

She didn't look up from her drink, and so he settled himself and ordered a Whiskey.

They sat in silence for five whole minutes. Occasionally House reached for a peanut.

"You gonna tell me what happened?"

At this Mandy finally looked up at him.

"Tell me something, Mouse."

"Brazil is the only country named after a tree."

She didn't laugh, he didn't even get a smile.

"No, tell me something about your parents."

House choked on his Whiskey. "Do I have to?"

Mandy just nodded knowingly. "No, you don't."

House looked at her for a moment, studying her. Trying to find the reason for the late night phone call. He couldn't. Just like her sister, this girl was still a bit of a mystery to him.

"What happened?"

She looked back at him. "Do I have to tell you?"

"Yes," he answered. Mandy was shocked for a minute, but then she sighed. House wasn't the type of guy to let you just sit there and not talk about it. He wanted to know. She knew that when she called him.

"My parents are in town."

"Ouch," he replied instantly.

That at least got a smile. "Yeah. And I'm their greatest disappointment, so the reunion didn't go well."

House didn't say anything. Neither did Mandy. They sat and they draink, in silence. A mutual understanding, it seemed.

* * *

"Gin." 

House grunted and threw his cards down on the table. "Fix."

Mandy laughed. "Yeah, that got old after the third hand."

House reached across the coffee table to grab his Vicodin bottle. He popped a few and then realized she was looking at him.

"What?"

Mandy shook her head, as if coming out of a reverie. "Nothing, just...Thanks, Mouse."

House cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For this."

"I didn't do anything. Except let you win."

"Right, sure thing Mouse."

* * *

Cameron and Chase flopped down on her bed, totally and completely drained. 

"Well, at least there's one good sign."

Chase looked over at her. "What's that?"

"You're still here," she smiled back. "My disasterous excuse for a family didn't scare you off."

Chase snaked an arm around her middle and tugged her towards him. "Honey, wild horses couldn't scare me off."

* * *

I don't know how else to explain how much reviews mean to me. I could say it in as many different languages as you want, I love reviews, j'adore les revues, adoro las revisiones, Ich liebe Nachprüfungen, Amo le revisioni. I don't know how else to say it, just please, review! 


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